Natural Easter Egg Dye

[happymomof4]

NATURAL EASTER EGG DYE Nature has a bounty of coloring agents for your eggs. This method takes longer to complete but it is a fun way to learn about the natural dyes of foods and juices, and using natural Easter egg dye is a great environment-friendly lesson for the kids!

Red or pink: Use beet, cherry, cranberry, raspberry, or strawberry juice
Yellow: Dilute turmeric or mustard powder in warm water
Purple: Use grape, boysenberry or acai berry juice
Blue: Use blueberry juice or actual blueberries
Brown: Use brewed or instant tea or coffee
Orange: Use concentrated orange juice or orange peels
Green: Use lime peels or green chard leaves

To dye eggs, add your coloring agent (from above), a tablespoon of white vinegar and eggs to a saucepan. Liquid should cover eggs – add more water or juice, if necessary. Bring water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Boil for one minute then remove pan from burner. Let eggs and coloring agent sit for at least 15 minutes, longer for darker coloring. Eggs can also be refrigerated in the natural dye for up to a day. Remove eggs from pan and let dry on a stack of paper towels. Eggs are ready for hiding or further decorating.

[MKS]

I tried this last year with dandilion leave. I don't recall if the results were all that good, but I'm going to try it again this year. It is free anyway!

[happymomof4]

I used beets, tea bags and orange peels. The colors didn't come out as bright or dark like the dyes. If you left them in longer the work better.

It was alot cheaper.

[happymomof4]

I am going to try this again this year. Everyone really seemed to like my eggs when they saw them.

[Coll]

Any ideas on what to do for an Easter egg hunt with a two year old with type one Diabetes? Most candy is out. Even sugar free stuff since most of it contains maltitol, or other sweeteners which can cause diarrhea.
I liked the idea of putting quarters in the eggs, but he doesn't really understand money.
The other kids that will be involved in the hunt are 5 and 7 year old's.

[happymomof4]

I think I would have a egg hunt with regular hard boiled eggs. Give all the kids a small toy or stuffed animal at the end. You could mark 1 or 2 eggs with an X and give 1 big prize to the one that gets the egg with the X. For the VFW we hard boil real eggs dye them. Then for each age group we mark eggs with 50cents, 1 dollar ect. Then we mark 1 egg for each age group for a grand prize. We usually give the smaller kids a stuffed animal. The older kids get gift card to Walmart or Target for $20.

[happymomof4]

I am going to use natural things to dye my eggs again this year. I like the red beet juice.